A line on France’s high-speed rail network was reportedly disrupted ahead of the Olympic Games opening ceremony, authorities said. Follow AP’s live coverage:
PARIS (AP) — An arsonist attacked France’s high-speed rail network early Friday, halting train service for about 800,000 people across Europe, including athletes headed to the capital. Opening ceremony Of the Olympics.
The apparently coordinated attack, targeted in a remote area far from the capital, aimed to cut off rail lines into the city from all directions, primarily setting fire to pipes carrying vital signalling cables for the system known as the TGV.
Fires were reported near the tracks of three railway lines before dawn, causing widespread disruption, while another attempted arson attack in the southern town of Verginy was thwarted after railway staff chased away several suspects.
French authorities have not commented publicly on who might have carried out the attack or why, and no official has said the sabotage was directly related to the Olympics.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said intelligence services had been mobilized to find the arsonists, who he described as “planned” and “calculated.”
The evidence shows “an intent to cause serious harm” to French people, said Jean-Pierre Farandou, CEO of state-run rail company SNCF. “The location of the fire was specifically chosen to have the most severe impact, as it cuts off two lines.”
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said the damage would not affect the opening ceremonies and no injuries were reported.
Paris prosecutors have opened a national investigation and said the crimes include property damage endangering the state’s “fundamental interests” and could carry a prison sentence of up to 20 years.
Associated Press correspondent Charles de Ledesma reports that France’s sports minister said a “malicious act” had hit high-speed rail lines across the country.
The trouble occurred ahead of the opening ceremony, when 7,000 Olympians were due to float down the Seine, passing by Paris’ iconic landmarks including Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay.
“Any disruption of such a celebration of peace with acts of violence is completely unacceptable and must be firmly rejected,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in Paris.
An SNCF official said two of the four Western Line trains taking athletes to Paris were halted just hours before the opening ceremony.
Two German athletes who were on a train to Paris for the opening ceremony had to turn back in Belgium because of traffic restrictions, according to German news agency dpa.
While police carried out forensic tests, repairs were being carried out: “It’s very delicate work because we have to repair each cable one by one,” Farandou said.
French Transport Minister Patrice Verglietteté said train services had begun to resume in the afternoon.
The attack comes against a backdrop of global tensions. Enhanced security measures The city is preparing for the Olympics.
French authorities say they have foiled several plots to sabotage the Olympics, including: Russian man arrested On suspicion of plotting to destabilize the Olympics.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said earlier this week that around 1,000 people suspected of interfering on behalf of foreign powers had been banned from taking part in the Olympics. Those banned included those suspected of Islamic extremism, left- or right-wing political extremism or those with serious criminal records, Darmanin said.
Darmanin repeatedly pointed to suspected Russian-backed interference, but added that similar threats had come from other countries he did not name.
Paris police chief Laurent Nunez told France Info TV that his department had “concentrated resources” at the station after the attack.
There will be 35,000 police officers in the capital every day during the Olympics, with a peak of 45,000 at the opening ceremony.
Paris is Deadly terrorist attack Over the past decade, some French officials have sought to ban the Olympics. A chance to heal the country From years of trauma.
The unrest hit Paris’ Montparnasse station particularly hard.
In the station’s crowded hall, Maïwenn Labé Sorin said she had been trapped inside the train for hours before it returned to Paris.
“We went two hours without water, without toilets, without electricity,” she said. “Then we were able to get onto the tracks for a little bit, and then the train came back. I don’t know what’s going to happen now.”
At Gare du Nord, one of Europe’s busiest stations, many passengers were looking for answers and solutions on Friday morning, with most trains to northern France, Belgium and Britain delayed, drawing attention to a central noticeboard.
Germany’s national rail company Deutsche Bahn said there were also sudden cancellations and delays between France and Germany.
The rail network’s quick response inspired renowned French cartoonist Plantu, who posted a cartoon on Instagram depicting the first three gold medals at the Olympics being presented to SNCF agents, showing the three agents standing on the Olympic podium, holding cables and trains and with gold medals hanging from their necks.
Also on Friday, France’s Basel-Mulhouse airport, on the German-Swiss border, was evacuated in the morning and temporarily closed for security reasons, the airport said, though it was unclear whether the attack was linked to the rail attack.
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Associated Press writers Tom Noubian, Angela Charlton and Marcia MacPherson in Paris, James Jordan and Danica Kirka in London and Samuel Petrequin in Brussels contributed to this report.
